Code of Conduct

AITO’s mission is to provide a safe environment for all conference attendees. AITO rejects harassment for any reason or in any form, including but not limited to email, voice mail, chat rooms, Internet use, text messages, pictures, images, writings, words, or gestures.

Harassment

Harassment includes hostile or offensive conduct, based on a protected characteristic, which causes a person to feel unsafe, intimidated, or uncomfortable in the conference environment.

Examples of Harassment:

AITO strictly prohibits harassment concerning any protected characteristic. By way of illustration only, and not limitation, such prohibited harassment includes:

• racial or ethnic slurs, epithets, derogatory comments and any other offensive remarks;
• offensive jokes, whether written, verbal, or electronic;
• threats, intimidation, and other menacing behavior;
• assault, impeding or blocking movement, or any physical interference with normal work or movement; inappropriate verbal, graphic, or physical conduct;
• sending or posting harassing messages, videos or messages via text, instant messaging, or social media;
• and other harassing conduct based on one or more of the protected characteristics identified in this policy.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is defined as unwanted sexual advances, or visual, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexually harassing conduct that violates this policy need not be motivated by sexual desire

Examples of Sexual Harassment:

Sexual harassment includes a broad spectrum of conduct including harassment based on sex, gender, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation. By way of illustration only, and not limitation, some examples of unlawful and unacceptable behavior include:

• unwanted sexual advances;
• offering an employment benefit (such as a raise, promotion or career advancement) in exchange for sexual favors, or threatening an employment detriment (such as termination or demotion) for an attendee’s failure to engage in sexual activity;
• visual conduct, such as leering, making sexual gestures, and displaying or posting sexually suggestive and/or derogatory objects or pictures, drawings, cartoons or posters;
• verbal sexual advances, propositions, requests or comments;
• sending or posting sexually-related messages, videos or messages via text, instant messaging, or social media; verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal comments about an individual’s body, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual, and suggestive or obscene letters, notes or invitations;
• physical conduct, such as touching, groping, assault, or blocking movement; physical or verbal abuse concerning an individual’s gender, gender identity or gender expression;
• and verbal abuse concerning a person’s characteristics such as pitch of voice, facial hair or the size or shape of a person’s body, including remarks that a male is too feminine or a woman is too masculine.

Consequences

You will be asked to leave the conference, and excluded from attending future AITO conferences. You may not be given a refund for any upcoming events or talks that you miss as a result of this expulsion.

What You Should Do If You Feel You Are Being or Have Been Harassed, Discriminated Against or Retaliated Against

You can contact us (anonymously or not) via email at conduct@aito.org For the in person ISSTA/ECOOP’24 conference, you may also reach out to Maria Christakis, Werner Dietl or any other member of the organization committee you are comfortable with.